To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed the entire object, paste this HTML in websiteTo link to this page, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed this page, paste this HTML in website

SWINGING THE PENDULUM:
DANCE, GENDER, REFORM JUDAISM, PUBLIC ARTMAKING
by
Kim Rebecca Newstadt
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSKI SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF PUBLIC ART STUDIES
May 2007
Copyright 2007 Kim Rebecca Newstadt

Examining the relationship between the body, learning, and prayer in the context of dance in Jewish life, this thesis investigates the historical relationship between the detached condition of dance and the patriarchal construction of gender differences in Judaism. Particularly, it explores this relationship within Reform Judaism, where principles of egalitarian prayer and learning in current practice still maintain a limited role for dance.; Perspectives of three participants in Liz Lerman Dance Exchange's public artmaking initiative, Moving Jewish Communities: A Training Initiative for Jewish Artists, highlight contemporary approaches to this relationship developed through the initiative and beyond. Their perspectives illuminate the current gendered and non-gendered complexities of this dynamic and the intricate ways in which they surface through dance. The fascinating nodes of intersection between Judaism, dance, and gender reveal both subtle and obvious manifestations of this relationship in contemporary Reform Judaism, prompting further scholarship and discussion.

SWINGING THE PENDULUM:
DANCE, GENDER, REFORM JUDAISM, PUBLIC ARTMAKING
by
Kim Rebecca Newstadt
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSKI SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF PUBLIC ART STUDIES
May 2007
Copyright 2007 Kim Rebecca Newstadt